AMST-A100 1st Edition Lecture 14 Outline of Last Lecture I. Citing Sources II. The upper middle and upper classes III. Inequality and mobility in the U.S. IV. The working poor in Nickeled and Dimed Outline of Current Lecture I. The founding myth of religious freedom in the U.S II. What counts as a religion? III. Changing views of Native American religion a. White Shamans and Plastic Medicine Men Current Lecture The founding myth of religious freedom in the U.S  Puritans and Quakers were persecuted and motivated to come to the United States for religious freedom  However, the majority of colonists came to the U.S for other reasons such as business opportunities  Catholics and Jews have been discriminated against in the past by not being able to participate in politics (voting etc.), started to change in the 19th century What counts as a religion? o Tax exempt: officially recognized by US government as a religious organization o Those in power decide what counts as religion and what is not religion o Scholars of religion (who are not usually the ones in power, who are deciding what counts as religion) do not agree on how to define religion. Nevertheless, common themes in different definitions include:  Beliefs about the universe and the beings that inhabit it  Rituals and other kinds of activities that are repeated regularly These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.  Communities of people who identify with the religion  Ethical or moral guidelines or precepts o “The moral of Leuba(Psychological Study of Religion) is not that religion cannot be defined, but that it can be defined, with greater or lesser success, more than fifty ways” Jonathan Z. Smith